Shabbat Services:

Services are held at 6:00 P.M. September through March in the Lief Chapel, and at 8:00 P.M. April through August in the Main Sanctuary. Special programming includes periodic Family Services, Friday night dinners, Oneg speakers and discussion following the 8:00 P. M. service, and outdoor services during the summer. For further information contact the office.

Shabbat Morning Services

Services begin at 9:30 A. M. From October through May a Learner's Service is held the second Saturday of each month at 10:30 A. M. to familiarize participants with the meaning as well as the mechanics of the Shabbat Morning Liturgy. They are held the same day as the Religious School's T.G.I.S. (Thank God Its Shabbat). Mentors are available in the Main Sanctuary each week to answer questions about services.

English transliterations of the service are available at all Friday Night and Shabbat Morning Services

Daily Minyan:

Evening services are held Tuesday evenings at 8:00 P.M. from September until June.

Youth Services:

Babysitting: Babysitting is available for 0 to 4 year olds every Shabbat and festival morning from 10:30 to noon.

Nitzanim: 4 through 7 year olds participate in their own Shabbat morning service, led by one of our staff members. This early start in Shabbat prayer and skills allows your child continued comfort in Jr.Congregation and beyond. Mid-year, those students whose Hebrew and prayer skills have developed, will move into Junior Congregation. The Nitzanim children lead the congregation in singing Ein K'Eloheinu at the conclusion of services in the main Sanctuary and have their own Kiddush. Nitzanim meets every Shabbat and on both days of each holiday from 10:40 - 11:40.

Junior Congregation: Services modelling worship in the main Sanctuary are conducted each week by the 8 - 12 year olds in the Lief Chapel under the supervision of one of our staff members. Junior Congregation affords the opportunity to put into practice that which the children learn in the classroom. In addition, the weekly Torah portion is experienced through drama, games, stories, and free discussions. Those children who have learned the Torah Trope often chant the weekly Torah reading. Jr. Congregation has its own Kiddush each Shabbat. Jr. Congregation meets from 10:30 - 11:45.
Once a month, from October through May, there is a special TGIS (Thank God It's Shabbat) - Monthly Shabbat School, that meets from 10:00 until noon. This monthly Shabbat program will consist of a service, a light brunch and classtime for religious school students in grades Mechina through Dalet.
On the days that TGIS meets, there is also a Monthly Adult Learners Minyan, which is open to the whole congregation.

Religious School : A United Synagogue Framework for Excellence School

United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism is pleased to announce that the Religious School of the Huntington Jewish Center of Huntington, NY, has been recognized as a "Framework for Excellence School". Rabbi Robert Abramson, Director of the United Synagogue's Department of Education, in congratulating the school the school for its achievement said "That by offering a program based on one of the Framework models, meeting all of its benchmarks and shared elements, you are providing the youngsters and teens of your congregation with a quality Jewish education that will serve them well as they mature into college years and adulthood."

This prestigious certification marks the fact that the Religious School of the Huntington Jewish Center has met rigorous standards in professional development, curriculum development and family education. It has demonstrated that it has met all of the goals, aims and benchmarks necessary to be considered a school of exceptional academic quality.

As a Framework for Excellence School, the Religious School of the Huntington Jewish Center has been recognized for its ability to use both formal and informal educational programming to enhance its students' Jewish education. This standard for academic excellence also recognizes the Congregation's success in creating a partnership between the professional staff and the lay leadership in building the kind of relationships that result in establishing high quality, meaning centered religious school learning opportunities.

The United Synagogue "Framework for Excellence" certification is a testimony to the fact that the Huntington Jewish Center has assembled a solid educational team that works closely with the lay leadership, parents and students to create to sustain a unique school insuring the future of Conservative Judaism in America.

OUR MISSION STATEMENT

The Huntington Jewish Center Religious School is dedicated to working in partnership with our students, families, and congregation to provide an excellent K-7 Jewish education. We seek to nurture our young people to appreciate and celebrate their Jewish identity in the context of modern American life and to inspire our children to be committed to a life of Jewish living and learning.

As part of an egalitarian Conservative congregation, we are committed to equal religious and educational opportunities for both genders, Jewish practice which is grounded in halacha (Jewish law), and respect for the entire spectrum of the greater Jewish community.

We provide a caring and supportive environment in which a dedicated faculty brings an expertise and love for their subject areas, a commitment to Jewish values and a deep regard for the individual worth of each of our students. We seek to cultivate in our students a personal theology and a sense of wonder, gratitude, and thankfulness to God.

We provide students with the information and skills to enable them to be responsible, knowledgeable and committed members of their local and world Jewish communities, now and in the future. We encourage respect and friendship among students in the synagogue community.

We emphasize Jewish practice (holidays, life cycle, kashrut, etc.), Torah study, Jewish ethics and values, prayer, heritage and culture, love of and involvement with Israel and an appreciation of the Hebrew language as the vehicle through which our tradition has been transmitted from generation to generation.

We prepare our students for continued Jewish education in a Conservative Hebrew High School, the next step in a lifetime of Jewish learning.

FAMILY EDUCATION

At the Huntington Jewish Center Religious School, we strive to enhance the Jewish experience of our families in their homes by bringing parents and children together for fun, interesting and meaningful activities in our school. At each grade level, parents participate with their child on between two to eight Sunday Mornings each year.

For example, the Aleph class and their parents make a wimple, or Torah binder, that will be first prepared in the year of their consecration, and then used at their Bar or Bat Mitzvah.
(See more about our Aleph class' wimples)

The Religious School also works closely with the other arms of the synagogue to provide lectures, discussions and trips of particular interest to parents.

BAR/BAT MITZVAH

We strive to make the Bar/Bat Mitzvah experience special for all our students and their families. We stress that the Bar/Bat Mitzvah does not mark the conclusion of one's Jewish education, but rather the beginning of a commitment to further Jewish study and observance. The following year, after our students become Bar/Bat Mitzvah, we encourage her/him to become a teacher's helper in the Religious School, to become a Torah reading assistant in our Torah Reading Class on Shabbat mornings and to enroll in either the Regional High School housed at South Huntington Jewish Center, the Prozdor Hebrew High, or the Solomon Schechter High School.

Attendance at synagogue services by Bar/Bat Mitzvah students is required the year prior to the Bar/Bat Mitzvah and must be completed three months prior to the date of your child's "simcha". Students are required to attend six Friday night services and ten Shabbat morning services in the Main Sanctuary.

We encourage the entire family to attend together with our child as this can be one of the most meaningful aspects of your child's becoming a Bar/Bat Mitzvah.

ISRAEL PROGRAMS

The Gift of Israel

The Huntington Jewish Center is proud to participate in The Gift of Israel, an innovative program sponsored by the UJA - Federation of Greater New York. At the time of Bar/Bat Mitzvah families open a special bank account and when the child registers for an Israel trip in the 11th or 12th grade, UJA will give $250.00 toward the trip and HJC will give $250.00. It is our expectation that every teenager in our congregation will spend a summer in Israel on a youth program.

Project Kochavim
Project Kochavim provides the opportunity for children with special learning needs to attend religious school. The Director of Education and the Special Education Coordinator work closely with parents and the public school to fashion an individual learning plan for each child. Children may mainstream where appropriate.

Project Kochvim is made possible by a grant from UJA-Federation and the Fund for Jewish Education.

Nursery School:

The Huntington Jewish Center Nursery School has been in existence for over twenty years. It is a school open to the community for all children beginning at the age of 17 months (Mommy and Me) and up to 5 years.

Our Philosophy

The Huntington Nursery School has dedicated many years to developing a child directed program where play is the medium for learning. Our professional and caring staff strives to create a relaxed environment that provides opportunities for physical, academic, social and spiritual growth. Our school follows the Board of Jewish Education Curriculum as well as our own. Through these curriculums, the following principles are achieved:

• an environment of acceptance in which the child can grow toward a sense of who he/she is, as a member of his family and ethnic group, and as a competent individual.
• an environment where individual differences in children's style, pace of learning and functioning are recognized and respected.
• an environment where children feel comfortable to express feelings, both negative and positive.
• an environment where children play and work together sharing responsibilities and experiences.
• Structured and unstructured materials in the class, as well as an indoor and outdoor gym, are part of the school's program to develop the "whole child."

The director, Sue Meisler, holds a Bachelor's Degree and Masters in education. The school is over 20 years old and she has been director for over 15 years. Sue is available to counsel parents on any issues that may arise throughout the year. Our teachers provide a secure and happy place. The teacher to student ratio is 1:4. What the staff is striving for throughout the year is the following:

• developing each child's ability to make choices and decisions about what to do and how to do it, using his or her own time effectively.
• developing each child's ability to work with other children and adults in group planning, coopertive efforts, and shared leadership.
• developing each child's ability to express thoughts, ideas and feelings.
• developing each child's awareness of Jewish customs, holidays and rituals.
• developing each child's ability to apply his or her reasoning abilities to a wide range of situations, using a variety of materials.
• developing each child's creativity, initiative, spirit of inquiry and openness to knowledge and other people's viewpoints.

Mommy and Me We have a Mommy and Me program for the Fall, Spring and Summer. We offer this to all children between 6 months to 24 months of age.

Other Features of Our School

• Lunch Bunch Program
• Computer Tots
• Creative Movement Classes
• Cooking Classes
• Late Bird
• Early Birs
• Stay & Play
• Summer Camp
• State-of-the-Art Outdoor Playground
• Indoor Gym
• Huntington Gymnastics Center gymnastics program

We celebrate all Jewish and secular holidays
We have Family, Shabbat dinners and we celebrate Shabbat each week with all of our 2's, 3's and 4's.

For information call:
(631) 425-0525

Summer Camp:

Jane H. gave her older group a ‘Shel Silverstein Summer.’ The children LOVED hearing the poems and they couldn’t get enough. Enhancing the poems with crafts, props and an edible snowman in July was a favorite.

Phyllis F. and Susanne M. gave warmth, care, happiness and their hearts to each child. Anita G., Carol A., Suzette K., Joyce G. and Barbara C. have the most patience in the universe. Their love makes first transitions from home to school natural experiences.

Our counselors April H., Matt S., Merry P., Chris P., Felicia K., Gillian C., Mariel L. and Amanda G. worked non-stop every day. Caroline G. was our #1 Star Volunteer. The children loved our super counselors.

Running, squirting water, reading, doing crafts, laughing and guiding the children were part of our days at the sprawling facility at Huntington Jewish Center. We all loved every minute of our Summer Adventure 2003!

Love,
Yvonne C.
Camp Director

For further information, contact the Synagogue office at (631) 427-1089.

Family Life Program:

Many of the programs will allow us to learn about different facets of spirituality in the world and in Judaism. Structured for all age levels, we will learn to look both outward to the natural world, and inward to the constructed world of our religion, to help us examine our beliefs and learn from the beliefs of others.

Link to Family Education Programs

HJC : About Us : Upcoming Events : The Bulletin : Guides and Exhibits

People at HJC : Life around the Synagogue : Sites of Judaic Interest